Couples who are considering obtaining a divorce and those who have begun proceedings have been warned about the dangers of using social media when separating.
Regardless of privacy settings, Consensus Collaboration Scotland, a network that promotes divorce and separation with minimum conflict, has stated that couples should take a break from social media and should be exceptionally cautious about what they do online. According to the organisation, social media and actions taking both during the relationship, and during the break up on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp are playing a significant role in divorces.
Getting a Divorce: Issues with Social Media
A member of the organisation, Anne-Marie Douglas warned of the dangers of social media and the fact that all posts can be seen online even if there are privacy settings. As well as getting around the settings, many people may have common friends that can pass on information.
She said: “We would advise couples going through a divorce or separation to log out of all your profiles and take a break from social media activity while you go through the process.
“We appreciate that this isn’t always possible or practical. If you do continue to use social media websites and online chat apps while you’re getting divorced or separated, we would suggest caution, discretion and good judgement.”
She added: “Remember that everything you do online becomes part of your digital footprint – it’s like a public logbook of your life.
“Social media and online activity also provide a digital time stamp. It could provide a potential trail of evidence that may be hard to explain away. What you post, like and tweet could lead to conflict, affect the financial outcome, and cause emotional damage, both for you and your children.”
As well as potentially leading to more arguments and hostility during a divorce, Consensus Collaboration Scotland also warned that images and information shared on social media can prove to be detrimental in terms of the financial aspect when going through a divorce. Many people use social media to show off new items, however, often such posts can be damaging if someone has pleaded poverty in their divorce discussions.
Social Media use When Going Through a Divorce
As part of the warning about the use of social media, the group urged those going through a divorce to take a break from social media and to think before posting as there could be mutual friends. Just because you may have deleted a social media post does not mean that it has not been screenshotted or saved elsewhere. Therefore, it is vital that you monitor and consider what you place online.
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